Chili dog vs. Coney dog ?

Well, I don't know how they do it in New England, but as a fifth generation Texan, we call 'em Chili dogs: and the chili has no beans. We lightly toast and butter the buns, I prefer all beef Nathan hot dogs cooked on the grill until split: add mustard, yellow or deli (NEVER ketchup) top with chili, dill pickle rellish, grated cheddar, and chopped onions. That's how great grandma ate 'em, and how we all do in my family, including reunions. I never heard of a coney until a Sonic franchise came to our small country town. ;)

I have eaten a lot of coneys and visited well more than a hundred coney island restaurants in the Detroit area for the book Coney Detroit, coming out of Wayne State University Press in April.
 
Detroit and Michigan are the epicenter of the coney nation with hundreds of coney islands and lots of different ways of making them, as well as variations such as the coney taco, the coney pizza and the omelet. (I am not making this up.)
 
These are the essentials of a coney island:
 
A meat sauce (Detroit style) or topping (Flint style) on a hot dog (traditionally with a natural casing) in a bun (should be steamed) topped with minced white onion and yellow mustard.
 
Some will argue about whether the onion should be minced or chopped, machine cut or hand cut, and I have seen it all. A few places will put the mustard and onions on before the coney sauce. There is lots of regional pride and competition over Flint-style vs. Detroit-style coneys, but both are coneys. (We get into all that and even visited the sauce, hot dog and bun factories.)
 
For Coney Detroit, we had a dozen photographers shoot in Detroit, Flint, Jackson, Port Huron, Battle Creek, Traverse City, Ypsilanti, as well as outside of Michigan in Worcester, St. Petersburg and near Las Vegas. They are not just a Michigan thing, of course, but no one does more of them.
 
A coney dog is a distinctive subset of chili dogs. One important distinction: Coney sauce has NO BEANS. We enjoyed a lot of coneys as we did the book, but the real coney story is about the great people, many of them Greek and Albanian, whose families turned this food into a phenomenon in Detroit and Michigan.
 
Joe Grimm
 

ConeyDetroit


I have eaten a lot of coneys and visited well more than a hundred coney island restaurants in the Detroit area for the book Coney Detroit, coming out of Wayne State University Press in April.

Detroit and Michigan are the epicenter of the coney nation with hundreds of coney islands and lots of different ways of making them, as well as variations such as the coney taco, the coney pizza and the omelet. (I am not making this up.)

These are the essentials of a coney island:

A meat sauce (Detroit style) or topping (Flint style) on a hot dog (traditionally with a natural casing) in a bun (should be steamed) topped with minced white onion and yellow mustard.

Some will argue about whether the onion should be minced or chopped, machine cut or hand cut, and I have seen it all. A few places will put the mustard and onions on before the coney sauce. There is lots of regional pride and competition over Flint-style vs. Detroit-style coneys, but both are coneys. (We get into all that and even visited the sauce, hot dog and bun factories.)

For Coney Detroit, we had a dozen photographers shoot in Detroit, Flint, Jackson, Port Huron, Battle Creek, Traverse City, Ypsilanti, as well as outside of Michigan in Worcester, St. Petersburg and near Las Vegas. They are not just a Michigan thing, of course, but no one does more of them.

A coney dog is a distinctive subset of chili dogs. One important distinction: Coney sauce has NO BEANS. We enjoyed a lot of coneys as we did the book, but the real coney story is about the great people, many of them Greek and Albanian, whose families turned this food into a phenomenon in Detroit and Michigan.
Joe Grimm

Welcome Coney Detroit!
We look forward to your discussions on here. If you have time, suggest you read as many threads under the "Hot Dogs, Sausages and Bratwurst" Forum as you can to familiarize yourself with some of the discussions on here that have involved Hot Dogs in all it's various forms from all regions of the Country.

Coney Detroit,
 
As for the actual franks that are used in the Detroit area, what do you prefer out of Koegels, Winter Sausage, and Dearborn Sausage?

ConeyDetroit


I have eaten a lot of coneys and visited well more than a hundred coney island restaurants in the Detroit area for the book Coney Detroit, coming out of Wayne State University Press in April.

Detroit and Michigan are the epicenter of the coney nation with hundreds of coney islands and lots of different ways of making them, as well as variations such as the coney taco, the coney pizza and the omelet. (I am not making this up.)

These are the essentials of a coney island:

A meat sauce (Detroit style) or topping (Flint style) on a hot dog (traditionally with a natural casing) in a bun (should be steamed) topped with minced white onion and yellow mustard.

Some will argue about whether the onion should be minced or chopped, machine cut or hand cut, and I have seen it all. A few places will put the mustard and onions on before the coney sauce. There is lots of regional pride and competition over Flint-style vs. Detroit-style coneys, but both are coneys. (We get into all that and even visited the sauce, hot dog and bun factories.)

For Coney Detroit, we had a dozen photographers shoot in Detroit, Flint, Jackson, Port Huron, Battle Creek, Traverse City, Ypsilanti, as well as outside of Michigan in Worcester, St. Petersburg and near Las Vegas. They are not just a Michigan thing, of course, but no one does more of them.

A coney dog is a distinctive subset of chili dogs. One important distinction: Coney sauce has NO BEANS. We enjoyed a lot of coneys as we did the book, but the real coney story is about the great people, many of them Greek and Albanian, whose families turned this food into a phenomenon in Detroit and Michigan.

Joe Grimm

 
Welcome Coney Detroit,
 
I hope this is not your one and only post. If it is I guess we will consider it a Detroit drive by. Being from Detroit myself I have not found a more passionate group when it comes to the Hot Dog. Defending them as the first and best Coney in the country. I agree and have found a true Detroit Coney to be in a league of its own. Most other concoctions around the country revolve around an inferior hot dog with a masking sauce. Detroit uses only top quality for the entire process. A boiled Dog would never fly in Detroit. Would love to hear more incite about the up coming book and what your favorites were.  Plus yours or any recipes you picked up along the way? And maybe a nice picture of a Coney for those of us no longer there....Russ 

ConeyDetroit-
Welcome to Roadfood and thanks for the excellent reply.  This sounds like a book I will be interested in buying when it comes out. 

I too will be buying this book. Speaking of books, I got an e-mail from Bruce Craig who already has a book out called Hot Dog: A Global History. His new book will be coming out in June or July of this year. It will be called Man Bites Dog. It will be about the regional styles of hot dogs and hot dog culture in America.
 
I met with Bruce and a photographer over the summer and took him on a Tour of a bunch of Jersey places that will be included in the book. Of course there will be a section on Detroit Coneys. Bruce travelled the country for over a year doing research for this book. I'll let you know when it becomes available.

Coney Detroit,
Is "Coney Detroit" the title of your book?
Will it be available on Amazon.com?

Foodbme


Coney Detroit,
Is "Coney Detroit" the title of your book?
Will it be available on Amazon.com?

 
http://www.amazon.com/Coney-Detroit-Painted-Turtle-Katherine/dp/0814335187/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326220240&sr=1-1
 
 
 
David

I grew up just outside of Fall River, Mass., and if it is the place i am thinking of, the dog you are showing is baked beans and not chili. But it is delicious just the same!

Wow, that's a beast! I can only find plates like that at the fairs, maybe even outside farmers' market.
 
Thanks for sharing that ahh-mazing macro-filled photo !